Improvement in earth-boring machines



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Earth-Boring Machines. N0.l49,827. Patented April 21,1874.

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'Earth-Boring Machines.

`N0.149,827, A PatentedApmzms74- yIl.

@iii UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

BRICE X. BLAlR AND JOHN A. PAUL, OF HUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA.

iMRovEMENT |N EARTH-BoRlNe-MACHINES.

speeineanon forming 15m of Letters Patent No. 149,827, dane-a April21,1814,l appnoanonniefi January 17, 1874.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, BEIGE X. BLAIR and tionof the same, reference being had to theannexed drawings making apart ofthis specication, and to the letters and figures of reference markedthereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of a sectional view of ourearth-boring machinei Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Figs. 3 and 4are detail views.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements in machinery forboring-holes into the earth for setting posts, and for other purposes.Our objects are, mainly, to automatically stop the forward movement ofthe machine when it arrives at the proper places for boring the holes,thereby enabling us to make the holes at regular distances apart; also,to utilize the draft of the teamwhich draws the machine from one placeto another for actuating the auger, as will be hereinafter explained.

The following is a description of our iinprovements v In the annexeddrawings, A represents th horizontal bed of the 1n achine, which ismounted ion two rear transporting wheels, B B, and a front easterguide-wheel, B1, the vertical shaft of which latter' has a spurredsegment, a, on it, with which engages an endless screw, al, on the frontend of an inclined rod, a2. This rod is mounted in suitable bearings onthe carriage-bed A, and has a crank-handle on its rear end,'by turningwhich the machine can be guided. C designates an upright frame, whichrises from the carriage-bed near one end, and is steadied by means ofinclined braces c c. C is the augershaft, which is guided below by thecarriagebed, and above by the cross-head of frame C. The upper portionof this shaft C has a helical groove, d, in it, which receives, attimes, the end of a spring-pin, d', to which a hand-lever, D, ispivoted. When pin d is in its 'groove d, rotation given tothe shaft Cwill cause this shaft to descend, and the pin d will be held by aspring-catch, e, which engages with lever D "When the shaft Ghas`descended as far as required, a collar, e', ony this shaft will depressthe latch orcatch e, thus releasing the. lever D, and allowing pin d tospring out of its groove d, which willfstop the farther descentof theauger-shaft. Collar e is adjustable for boring holes of differentdepths. Shaft C( receives rotation from a pulley, f, which is on ahorizontal v shaft, E, mounted in journalboxes on the carriage-bed A.This pulley is loosely applied on its shaft, but engaged with it bymeans of a sliding double clutch, g, which is adjustable by means of alever, g1, connecting rod, g2, and a vibrating hand lever, g", whichlatter can be fixed in any one of three positions by means of notches z'in a bracket,

h. An endless belt, fl, passes around pulleyl f, and also around apulley, f2, which is applied on the auger-shaft C', and connected tothis shaft by means of la feather and groove. Theupper end of theauger-shaft C is connected by a collar, j, to the cross-head of averticallymovable frame, H, which hasrack-teeth on it, that engage withVtwo pinion-wheels, k k, on a shaft, 7c. The uprights of frame H areVguided in the cross-head of frame C, and the shaft k', which has itsbearings on this cross-head, carries on one end a pulley, Z, over whichabelt, lr', passes, that leads from a pulley, m, on shaft E. Pulley misapplied loosely on its shaft, but engaged with it, when it is desired toraise, the auger-shaft, by means of the clutch g. On the shaftE is keyeda windlass, fn, and a ratchetwheel, o. T he windlass u has radialhandles applied to it for winding upon it a draft-rope,

p, and taking up the slaekbf this rope after A each operation of boringahole. This rope eX- tends 'forward over the carriage bed, and through astaple, 2, and is hitched to the draftteam, or to a draft-engine, and itis through the medium of this rope that the auger-shaft is rotated, aswill be hereinafter explained. J designates a toothed wheel of anysuitable diarneter, the shaft of which has its bearings in the free endof a frame, J which is pivoted to the rear cross-beam of thecarriage-bed A.

.Wheel J engages, when depressed, with a pinion, Von the shaft R, towhich the wheels B B are secured. Surrounding the shaft of wheel J is aconvolute spring, s, one end of which is secured to this wheel, and theother end to frame J This spring is designed to throw the wheel J backto its normalv position when the boring-shaft ceasesto operate. isapplied into one of many holes through wheel J, which pin is adjustableinto any one of these holes, and it is designed for checking the forwardrotation of its wheel against a stop, q, when it is desired to boreahole. Another pin, t, is xed'into one of the spokes of wheel J on theopposite side of this wheel. The object of pin t is to release theratchet-wheel o on shaft E from pawl L, and allow this shaft to rotatewhen it is desired to unwind the rope p from the windlass a. Kdesignates a curved handlever, which is pivoted to the rear side of oneof the uprights of frame C, and connected, by a rod, r, to the free endof frame J The lever K can be fixed in a depressed position, or in anelevated position, by adjusting it into notches formed in an arc, N,secured to frame C.

To operate the machine, the rope is first wound upon the windlass n. Theanimals are hitched close to the front end of the carriageframe. WheelJis depressed, after properly adjusting pin t, and hand-lever D isadjusted in front ofthe spring-catch e. The attendant then grasps thecrank on rod a2 for guiding the machine, and starts the animals. As the:machine is moved forward the wheel J will be slowly turned in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, until pin t strikes the rearend of pawl L, when the windl ass a, with its ratchet, will be releasedfrom this pawl, and the forward movement of the machine will instantlycease. The animals proceed to unwind rope p from its windlass, and themotion thus 0btained is transferred to the augershaft by moving clutch ginto gear with wheel f. When the proper depth of hole has been made, theoperator shifts the clutch to the Wheelm,which actuates the frame H, andlifts the auger out of its hole.

A pin, q,

We should have previously stated that wheel J should be released frompinion o at the moment the windlass is released from its pawl L. Also,that when the auger has descended as far as desired, the collar e onshaft C will depress the latch e, and disengage. pin d from the groovein said shaft, and stop the descent of the same.

When a hole has been bored, and the auger raised out of it, the slack ofrope p is wound upon windlass n, and the several parts of the machineare adjusted as above described, for another operation.

What we claim as new, and desirev to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an earth-boring machine, the windlass n, ratchet-Wheel o, and pawlL, in combination with the spur-wheel J on frame J spring s, pins q t,lever K, connecting rod r, and the pinion spur-wheel U on axle B,substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The spring-'pin d', lever D, catch e, collar e', combined with anauger-shaft, C, having a screw-shaped groove, d, in it, substantially asdescribed. f

3. The lifting-frame H, combined with the auger-shaft C', and withpulleys Z m and shifting-clutch g on windlass-shaft E, substantially asdescribed.

4. The pulleys f f 2, windlass n, clutch g, ratchet-wheel o, pawl L, anddraft-ropep,'con1 billed in Va boring1nachine, substantially asdescribed, and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that we claim the above we have hereunto subscribed ournames in the lpresence of two witnesses.

BRIGEX. BLAIR. JOHN A. PAUL.

IVitnesses:

T. W. MYTON, J. C. BLAIR.

